A number of new energy-efficient fluorescent lamps such as T5 (high-efficiency) and T5 (high-output) lamps have been launched in the past few years and a large number of different fluorescent lamp types are available in the market. However, in practice a specific ballast design must be made for each lamp type and this means that ballast manufacturers must design many different ballasts and the consumers must choose the right ballasts for their fluorescent lamps. Selecting the wrong ballast may mean that the lamp will either not light at all, or may be operated under less than optimal conditions, may be damaged or may even be unsafe. However, if a universal electronic ballast can be designed so that it can detect and operate a wide range of fluorescent lamp types, then the ballast manufacturers can produce a common electronic ballast that can operate a wide range of lamps and the consumers do not have to buy and stock a wide range of lamp ballasts. Even if such a ballast could only be used for a limited number of lamps, it could still reduce the number of ballast products required.